Natick Indian Plantation &
Needham West Militia Companies

Few realize how much the tide of war during the American Revolution was affected by the raging epidemics of small pox in military camps. Throughout Gen. George Washington's Siege of Boston in 1775 and early 1776, the small pox was the cause of many deaths.

After the war of revolution was won, wives of Natick's Indian soldiers reported that the men had expired to a man of both battle injuries and small pox. In fact, the casualties caused by the small pox easily outnumbered actual battle deaths.

The defeat of Continental forces under Benedict Arnold on December 31, 1775 at Quebec was in large part due to the decimation of his men by this disease. The British forces were often immune to the disease because of their childhood exposure in Europe. American forces and Indians lacked this immunity.

Later in the war Gen. George Washington finally decided to inoculate his men against the disease. Colonial inoculation consisted of deliberately infecting a small patch of skin on the shoulder to pus from an infected victims pox-filled blisters. Inoculation could accidentally spread the small pox. The inoculees were contagious to others until their itchy blistered shoulders and arms scabbed over. Bystanders could receive a lethal dose of the virus shed by inoculees.

When the death toll was high enough, Washington finally ordered mass inoculations, despite the near certainty of secondary infections. His fears were not unfounded, since many well-to-do inoculees would prance about town heedless of the fate they were inflicting on others.